Startup Naming Pro

# Startup Naming Pro

Systematic brand and product naming with linguistic rigor and business sense.

## Naming Categories

### 1. Descriptive (描述型)
Directly describes what the product does.
- **Pros**: Instant understanding, good for SEO
- **Cons**: Generic, hard to trademark, limiting
- **Examples**: General Electric, American Airlines, PayPal
- **Use when**: Utility matters more than brand personality (B2B tools, infrastructure)

### 2. Abstract / Coined (造词型)
Invented words with no prior meaning.
- **Pros**: Unique, trademark-friendly, ownable
- **Cons**: Needs marketing investment to establish meaning
- **Examples**: Kodak, Rolex, Hulu, Spotify
- **Use when**: Building a category-defining brand

### 3. Metaphorical (隐喻型)
Uses imagery or concepts from other domains.
- **Pros**: Memorable, story-rich, emotionally resonant
- **Cons**: Meaning may not be immediately obvious
- **Examples**: Amazon (vast), Nike (victory), Stripe (simple + bold)
- **Use when**: Emotional connection matters more than literal description

### 4. Compound / Blended (复合型)
Combines two words or word parts.
- **Pros**: Fresh but recognizable, compact
- **Cons**: Can feel contrived if overdone (-ify, -ly fatigue)
- **Examples**: Facebook, Netflix, Pinterest, Instagram
- **Use when**: Want to evoke two concepts simultaneously

## Evaluation Framework

### Score each name candidate on these dimensions (1-10):

| Dimension | Weight | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| **Memorability** | 25% | Can you recall it after hearing it once? |
| **Pronounceability** | 20% | Can a 5-year-old say it? Can non-native speakers? |
| **Brevity** | 15% | Ideally 2-3 syllables, under 10 characters |
| **Uniqueness** | 15% | Google it — is it dominated by other results? |
| **Domain potential** | 10% | Is the .com available or acquirable? |
| **Cultural safety** | 10% | Does it mean anything offensive in major languages? |
| **Trademark viability** | 5% | Does it conflict with existing marks in the category? |

**Minimum passing score**: 6.5/10 weighted average. Don't ship below this.

## Workflow

### 1. Brief
Gather from the user:
- What does the product/company do?
- Target audience and geography?
- Desired brand personality (playful, serious, luxurious, technical)?
- Any constraints (must include a word, must start with a letter, budget for domain)?
- Competitors to differentiate from?

### 2. Generate
Produce 10-15 candidates across all 4 naming categories. Use these techniques:

**Linguistic tricks**:
- Alliteration: PayPal, BlackBerry, Best Buy
- Repetition:滴滴, TikTok, WeChat → We
- Rhyme: Reese's, Lean Cuisine, 7-Eleven
- Ending -ify: Shopify, Spotify (→ overused, use sparingly)
- Ending -ly: Weebly, Bitly (→ avoid)
- Latin/Greek roots: Acer (sharp), Volvo (I roll), Sony (sonus/sound)

**Cross-language mining**:
- Find words with positive meanings across cultures
- Check translations in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, French, Hindi
- A word meaning "beautiful" in one language may mean "garbage" in another

### 3. Evaluate
Apply the scoring framework above. Rank candidates. Present top 5 with:
- Name + category
- Rationale (why it works)
- Potential tagline pairing
- Risk flags (if any)
- Domain availability heuristic (.com, .io, .ai, .co options)

### 4. Refine
Based on feedback:
- "More abstract" → shift toward coined words
- "More fun" → explore portmanteaus and playful sounds
- "More premium" → Latin roots, soft consonants, longer syllable counts

## Linguistic Pitfalls

| Issue | Example | Why It Fails |
|---|---|---|
| Hard consonant clusters | "Strplx" | Unpronounceable |
| Ambiguous vowel | "Fower" (flower? four-er?) | Confusing |
| Cultural offense | "Pajero" (Spanish slang) | Brand damage |
| Too generic | "Cloud Storage Pro" | No brand equity |
| TMI in name | "Enterprise Customer Relationship Management System" | Not a name, it's a sentence |
| Trendy prefix | "AiSomething", "SmartSomething" | Forgettable, dates fast |

## Cross-Cultural Safety Check

Always test a name against:
1. **Chinese**: Does it sound like a homophone with negative meaning?
2. **Japanese**: Any problematic readings?
3. **Spanish**: Common slang conflicts?
4. **Arabic**: Does it resemble a word with negative connotation?
5. **Hindi**: Any unfavorable associations?

**Real-world failures**: Mitsubishi Pajero, Chevy Nova (no va = "doesn't go"), Nokia Lumia (prostitute in Spanish slang), Ford Kuga (sounds like "cougar" and also problematic in some Chinese dialects).

## Output Template

```
## Name: [Name]
- **Category**: [Descriptive/Abstract/Metaphorical/Compound]
- **Score**: [X.X]/10
- **Pronunciation**: [IPA + phonetic spelling]
- **Meaning**: [Literal meaning, if any]
- **Rationale**: [Why this works for the brief]
- **Tagline pair**: "[Name] — [tagline]"
- **Domain options**: [available alternatives]
- **Risk flags**: [none / specific concerns]
```

## Prompt Triggers

- "Help me name my startup"
- "Generate brand names for a [type] product"
- "Evaluate this name: [name]"
- "I need a creative name that sounds [adjective]"